Jolene Henderson struck out 12 batters and pitched a four-hitter, improving to 28-1, as the top-ranked Cal softball team (48-3, 19-2 Pac-12) scored a 4-1 win over Oregon State (33-19, 8-12) at Corvallis, Ore.
The win completes a three-game road sweep and keeps the Bears atop the Pac-12 standings headed into next week’s regular-season-ending three-game series at Berkeley against No. 2 Arizona State (45-5, 17-2), the defending national champion. Game 1 of the series is Thursday at Levine-Fricke Field. First pitch is at 3 p.m.
Lindsey Ziegenhirt hit a two-run homer for the Bears, who managed just three hits.
– BASEBALL: Junior left-hander Justin Jones pitched a complete-game 2-hitter and the Bears (25-19, 9-12) posted a 8-0 win over Washington State (23-20, 9-11) at Pullman, Wash. Jones walked the first batter he faced, then didn’t walk another. He struck out six and retired the final 15 batters he faced. His 23rd career victory tied Jones for fifth on Cal’s career list.
Junior Mitch Delfino was 4 for 5 with a double, raising his average to a team-leading .381. Junior Vince Bruno was 3 for 4 and drove in three runs.
Cal’s No. 22 baseball team beat Pacific 9-3 at Evans Diamond on Sunday, completing a three-game, season-opening series sweep of the Tigers.
A pretty good exclamation point on the weekend for Cal athletics:
— The men’s basketball team beat Oregon and Oregon State to improve to 22-6 overall, 12-3 and still tied for first place in the Pac-12 standings. Expect the Bears to move into the top-30 on Monday when the official NCAA RPI ratings are released, and expect sophomore point guard Justin Cobbs to be named Pac-12 Player of the Week.
— The women’s basketball team went on the road and swept the Oregons, reaching 20 victories for the fifth time in six seasons. The Bears are 10-4 in conference play and have a two-game cushion on third place.
— The Cal rugby team, which hardly broke a sweat while outscoring its first nine opponents 650 to 23, claimed a 13-12 win over the British Columbia Thunderbirds, a Canadian powerhouse, in the first game of their long-time “World Cup” series. The Bears travel to B.C. on March 25 to complete the two-game set.
— The Cal softball team, ranked No. 1 and No. 3 nationally by separate polls, improved to 8-0 on the season with four wins at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas. The Bears beat LSU 14-3 on Sunday to close out the event. Pleasanton native Valerie Arioto is batting .625 with seven homers and 18 RBI through eight games. On Sunday, LSU wisely walked her three times.
— The only notable defeats for the Bears came in men’s and women’s swimming. The No. 3 Stanford men beat the No. 6 Bears 146.5 to 96.5 and the the Cardinal women upended the top-ranked Bears 174-126, in dual meets Saturday at Stanford.
Cal baseball, coming off a season that featured remarkable lows (announced axing of the program) and highs (a College World Series appearance), will hold a free Fan Fest on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
The event will be held weather-permitting, but the forecast at this point is favorable for Saturday.
The Bears will hold a scrimmage at 1 p.m. The morning session includes the opportunity to meet the players, get autographs and take photos.
Some notes, focusing on David Esquer’s award for National Coach of the Year.
Freshman second baseman Derek Campbell will be get loose for tomorrow’s game against Virginia by hosting a live chat at 8:30 a.m. PT
A quick note: If you plan on listening to tomorrow’s game on the radio, it has been moved from 960-AM to 1550-AM. It still is on ESPN2 and the campus radio station, 90.7-FM
In preparation of Cal’s opening game in the College World Series today vs. Virginia (11 a.m., ESPN, 960-AM), here are some links to some previews that have appeared recently:
Cal’s baseball team beat Dallas Baptist 6-2 tonight to complete an NCAA Super Regional sweep and advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The tournament begins Saturday. Pairings have not yet been announced.
The team that was axed by Cal’s administration last fall, then earned reinstatement thanks to private fundraising, will try to win a national championship to match those the Bears claimed in 1947 and 1957. Cal is playing in the CWS for the first time in 19 seasons.
Cal (37-21) got six innings of three-hit pitching from Erik Johnson and three innings of one-hit closing work from three relievers. Catcher Chadd Krist had three RBIs, including a two-run homer.
Pretty good week for the Golden Bears:
— Michael Morrison makes Cal the first school with four different NCAA track and field decathlon titles.
— Ex-Bear Jason Kidd wins his first NBA title with the Dalllas Mavs.
— The baseball team qualifies for the CWS.
I’m taking some vacation. Will check in when I get back.
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